Although I wouldn't count Hamlet as my favorite tragedy (I'm a glutton for punishment: that title would go to King Lear), I like Hamlet because it is one of Shakespeares best structured babies. As you mention, Cheryl, the language is incredible yet accessible. The story catches everyone by the juggular (sp?). As you mention, whether you love it or whether you hate it, the emotion is there and that is the point of theater.

I find this play to be deceptive in more ways than one. The plot is amazingly simple- Brother kills King, Son of King plots revenge on Brother, Son kills Brother- the means is incredibly complicated. If this group read has made me appreciate Hamlet more, it is because of the emotional and textual intricacies of the piece. The sheer number of questions in this play, answered and unanswered, is amazing. And let's face it: that's life. In addition, the journey Hamlet takes as a human being is one many of us take in many ways during our lives. We, as humans, are always trying to balance, to use modern terms, our Id with our Super Ego, our brains with our hearts, our intellect with our passions. That is why the phrases have passed into general social conciousness. Hamlet is everyman.